He was the enthusiastic soldier who wanted the toughest assignments. Master Sgt. Mark Allen would never back down from a challenge and younger soldiers idolized him, his fellow service members said.
“There are no words other than strength and determination to describe Master Sgt. Allen,” Major General Thomas Carden, of the Georgia Department of Defense, said during Allen’s Friday funeral. “He loved soldiers and his enthusiasm was infectious.”
In his downtime, Allen loved to laugh, sing karaoke and watch Vince Vaughn movies. If he was awake, Allen was ready to go, according to First Sgt. Ricky Todd, who served with Allen.
Allen, 46, died on Saturday more than 10 years after being critically injured in Afghanistan. There were both smiles and laughs during his funeral at First Baptist Church of Snellville as speakers shared memories of the man hailed as a hero and fighter until the end.
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In addition to family and friends, many attending the funeral were military members or police officers. Veterans holding U.S. flags lined the sidewalk of the church as Allen’s casket was moved inside for the service.
Photos shown during the service illustrated Allen’s life: A little boy holding a fishing pole beamed proudly in one picture. Others showed Allen on his wedding day and later holding his newborn daughter.
Allen was a leader among soldiers, often helping keep others safe during the toughest conditions, Todd said. When Allen was critically injured in a July 2009 firefight with Taliban combatants, it sent a “gut punch” to others who knew him.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
Medics’ efforts likely saved his life, Todd said. Although his injuries left him unable to walk or speak, Allen’s spirit remained was resilient. During her years of caring for him, his wife, Shannon Allen, shared lots of laughs and was able to communicate with her husband despite his limitations.
Following the funeral, police officers from several agencies escorted Allen’s remains to the Corinth Memorial Gardens in Loganville for burial next to a fellow fallen soldier.
In addition to his wife, Allen is survived by two children, a grandson and numerous other relatives and a host of close friends including Ivonne Thompson, who met the Allen family when her own husband was recovering from combat injuries. She spoke during Friday’s memorial service.
“Mark will never be forgotten,” she said.
A Go Fund Me campaign has been launched to assist the Allen family.
HONORING A HERO
In lieu of flowers the family of Master Sgt. Mark Allen requests donations be made to The Independence Fund, Folds Of Honor or the Semper Fi Fund in his name.
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